If you like something…

Author Notes:I have been making this recipe for years. It somehow satisfies the yen for salmon when we cannot get fresh wild salmon. We don't buy the farmed stuff. Many of the ingredients don't have amounts associated with them. I have always just done a "shake, shake, shake" till I liked what I saw, smelled, and then tasted. I always make a tiny sample to taste for seasonings. We have friends who will not eat fish cakes of any kind because they say that fish cakes are all filler, and that they only mask the taste of the fish. We made small salmon cakes as "finger food" to serve folks before dinner a while back. Our friends who don't like fish cakes of any kind, hardly let anyone else get one. —bella s.f.

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Serves 4 as a main course or more if using as an hors d'oeuvre (only you know how many of these your friends and family will pop in their mouths.)

1
pound potatoes (I have made this with Russets, as well as red-skinned potatoes)

1
15 1/2 oz. can wild red salmon (I have seen 14.75 oz. cans as well as 15 oz. cans) use whichever large can you can find

Skin and cube the potato. Put into a pan with cold water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Cook until fork tender. Drain. Put the potatoes into a bowl, to cool. Mash them with a fork.

Add the canned salmon to the bowl. Smash any salmon bones with your fingers. Break up large chunks of fish. Add the beaten egg, mayoo, onion, parsley, lemon juice, pepper, and scallions. Mix together. Start shaking in all of the other ingredients, except for the bread crumbs. I usually start with 8 - 10 shakes of the pepper sauce, 4 shakes of Worchestershire sauce, a couple shakes of garlic salt, and enough chives to make the cakes look the way I want them to.

Make a small "test" cake and saute in a small frying pan, so that you can taste for flavor. Add more of any of the ingredients to get the taste you want. When you are there, shape the mixture into the size you want your salmon cakes to be. For an hor' douvre, bite-sized cakes are fun to have. Bigger ones are great as a main course.

Put your bread crumbs into a bowl, or on a dish with sides. Put each salmon cake down in the crumbs, and use your hands to put crumbs over the top and sides of each cake. Put the breaded salmon cakes onto a sheet pan. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or longer. When you are ready to cook, pan fry each cake till nicely browned, about 3-4 minutes each side. We like the taste of these so much that we do not usually dip them into anything. Give them a try on their own. If you prefer, dip into whatever sauce makes you happy. Mayo with some lemon juice and capers can be very nice. Enjoy!